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Image of a group of monks during a debate at the Séra Monastery. One of two monks in the foreground is smiling, and the other is holding a picture of the 14th Dalai Lama (who, at the time, is in exile in India). Monks in the background are sitting in circles or standing, talking to one another or looking at the camera.

Item consists of footage of landscapes, cityscapes, and heritage sites in Iran. Project and donor contributed description follows: "Both Bita and her father, Abbas, contributed to this write up. Bita felt protective of her family and their image, and chose to contribute a clip that didn’t centre people but a place. The scenery itself is a beautiful valuable contribution of a country in flux. In 1998, Abbas visits Iran with his daughter Bita for the first time in sixteen years since moving to Canada. Bita at the time was a shy eight year-old and recalls that she didn’t speak for the first three weeks of the trip and that this was her first time leaving Canada. In this clip Abbas is alone behind the camera capturing historical sites. He was prompted to take this trip because an Iranian friend in Vancouver couldn’t go home and asked him to make these movies of Cyrus the Great, Isfahan, etc. and to bring them back to show on local Persian TV. He did end up making these movies on a miniDV camcorder but never did give them to his friend. The clip starts out at night time in Shiraz, with the Takht-e Lamshid built for Cyrus the Great. Then moves on to Isfahan, the "Great Mosque" that in farsi they call the Shah Mosque based in Naghsh-e Jahan Square. Abbas recalls at the time wondering how locals knew he hadn’t been living their for 16 years. People could tell that he had left and was living somewhere else. For Abbas, these clips show a country rich with stories and pride. After years of searching for these tapes, they found them again in the summer of 2018 the night before Bita returned to Iran for the second time in her life."

Image of a man in uniform standing in a field in grasses almost up to his waist. There is a group of people, including another uniformed man, watching him from the side of the field. In the distance are several low buildings among dense greenery.

Image of of a girl standing in the road carrying a large bundle on her head. There is a large group of people walking past her on the road. There is a small guard tower visible in the field adjacent to the road.

Image of a group of people walking down a road. They are mostly young men and boys. One of them is riding on a bicycle. There is a woman with an umbrella. Behind them are several large vehicles and a man in uniform.

Image of two uniformed men on a bicycle riding down a road. One of them is steering while the other sits on the back wheel holding onto a long-barrelled gun. Past them is a low wall with a small guard tower at one end. Behind the wall are several low buildings. Several other people are walking on the road further down, and in the distance can be seen large vehicles.

Image of several uniformed men standing by a military vehicle parked on a road. There is a truck past them on the road. In front of them is barbed wire fencing by a field. In the distance is a series of long, low buildings, a water tower, and a large group of people.

Image of two men, one of them with a young child on his hip, among a large group of people walking down a road by the side of a field. Behind them is a man on a motorbike and another in uniform. In the distance is a series of long, low buildings and a water tower.

Image of a large group of people, mostly men and boys, walking down a road by the side of a field. They are walking past a military vehicle with soldiers sitting in it. The vehicle has a sign on it which reads "Armed Forces Police Da Nang". In the distance is a series of long, low buildings and a water tower.

Image of a young boy and a woman holding up a umbrella among a large group of people walking down a road by the side of a field. They are walking past a military vehicle with uniformed men sitting in it. The vehicle has a sign on it which reads "Armed Forces Police Da Nang". There are several vehicles on the road and in the distance is a series of long, low buildings and a water tower.

Image of a large group of people, mostly men and boys, walking down a road by the side of a field. There are several military vehicles, some with uniformed men seated inside. In the distance is a series of long, low buildings and a water tower.

Image of a young boy. Behind him stands a bearded man wearing a conical hat. Behind them is a large group of people walking down a road by the side of a field. There are several military vehicles, some with soldiers seated inside. In the distance is a series of long, low buildings and a water tower.

Image of two uniformed men with long-barrelled guns. They are walking past wire fencing edging a field by a road. There is a low guard tower in the field. In the background are other uniformed men, people, and military vehicles.